www.washingtontimes.com Topics: Michael T. Mccaulhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/michael-t-mccaul/?utm_medium=RSS2015-02-11T22:17:31-05:00Islamic State territory now 'the size of Belgium': lawmaker2015-02-11T22:17:31-05:00Guy Taylorhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/11/islamic-state-territory-now-size-belgium-lawmaker/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>The Obama administration's top counterterrorism official said Wednesday that the number of foreign fighters traveling from the U.S. and other nations to join the Islamic State extremist movement in Syria and Iraq continues to grow &mdash; with some 20,000 fighters having flooded in from more than 90 countries in recent ...Peter T. King says Islamic State terror justifies 2011 Muslim House hearings2015-02-10T21:31:05-05:00S.A. Millerhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/feb/10/peter-t-king-says-islamic-state-terror-justifies-2/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>Rep. Peter T. King's series of hearings on the threat of homegrown Islamic terrorists in 2011 had Democratic lawmakers and Muslim-American groups screaming "witch hunt" and "Islamophobia," but the rising body count in attacks by radicalized Muslims who turn on their own countrymen has all but silenced the critics as ...GOP border bill faces opposition from conservatives2015-01-22T16:00:00-05:00Stephen Dinanhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/22/gop-border-bill-faces-opposition-conservatives/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>Republicans are about to face another immigration fight within their own ranks after conservatives rebelled this week against a border security bill, saying it's a fig leaf that doesn't tackle any of the issues surrounding President Obama's lax enforcement of immigration laws.</p> <p>The border bill demands that the Obama administration ...Secure border, punish illegals: Republicans answer amnesty with tough measures2015-01-18T21:20:11-05:00Stephen Dinanhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/18/secure-border-punish-illegals-republicans-answer-a/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>Even as they fight President Obama over his amnesties, House Republicans are moving ahead with legislation to force the Homeland Security Department to secure the worst parts of the southern border within two years, and to have the entire 2,000-mile border under control within five years.</p> <p>The U.S. Border Patrol ...Obama immigration flip-flops prove problematic for Jeh Johnson2014-12-02T22:03:11-05:00Stephen Dinanhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/2/obama-immigration-flip-flops-prove-problematic-for/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>President Obama's own words continue to be a major problem for his defenders, including Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, the administration's top immigration lawyer, who spent much of his Capitol Hill testimony Tuesday parsing or disagreeing with his boss's flip-flops.</p> <p>In a testy House hearing, Mr. Johnson disagreed with Mr. ...Republicans unconvinced Obama taking Islamic State threat seriously enough2014-09-14T20:19:10-04:00Tom Howell Jr.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/14/republicans-unconvinced-obama-taking-islamic-state/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>The Obama administration struggled Sunday to define its strategy for beating back the Islamic State in Iraq and particularly in Syria, where its plan to rely on moderate fighters at this stage is complicating President Obama's sales pitch to Congress and his legacy of winding down wars in the Middle ...Senators: Obama must defeat Islamic State to prevent another 9/11-scale attack2014-09-07T10:28:11-04:00http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/7/senators-obama-must-defeat-islamic-state-prevent-a/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said Sunday that the Islamic State group must be defeated before it becomes organized enough to launch a 9/11-scale attack on the U.S.</p> <p>As the country approaches the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, senators worried about American or Western European ...Texas Gov. Rick Perry says U.S. border less secure now2014-07-03T20:53:12-04:00Dave Boyer, Stephen Dinan and Stephen Dinan, Dave Boyerhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jul/3/texas-governor-rick-perry-says-us-border-less-secu/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday that the surge of people illegally crossing the southwestern border has become such a distraction for immigration agents that the border is now less secure than at any other time in recent years.</p> <p>With Congress out of session this week, lawmakers have traveled to ...Inside the Beltway: Picking conflicts based on politics2014-05-28T20:07:11-04:00Jennifer Harperhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/28/inside-the-beltway-picking-conflicts-based-on-poli/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>Amid the saber rattling, cat calls and assorted bombast that followed <strong>President Obama</strong>'s foreign policy-laced commencement speech at West Point comes a moment of practical lucidity from Rep. <strong>Michael T. McCaul</strong>, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.</p> <p>"The president proved once again that he is intent on picking his ...McCaul offers scenario where missing Malaysian jet lands in hostile country to be use as missile2014-03-16T20:15:09-04:00David Sherfinskihttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/16/jetliner-piloted-off-course-but-no-one-knows-why/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>The disappearance this month of a Malaysian jetliner was a result of "an intentional, deliberate act," the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said as more details emerged Sunday about the circumstances behind Flight 370.</p> <p>"This was not an accident. It was an intentional, deliberate act to bring down ...Lawmakers see 'false narrative' of Obama as a terrorist fighter2013-12-08T10:01:11-05:00Guy Taylorhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/dec/8/rep-mike-mccaul-al-qaedas-run-false-narrative/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>A growing clutch of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle is publicly countering the Obama administration's portrayal of al Qaeda as an organization on the run, saying that an evolving network of the terrorist group's affiliates now may pose as grave a threat to the U.S. as its predecessor ...Top GOP leader rejects immigration conference with Senate 2013-10-30T21:17:29-04:00Stephen Dinanhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/30/top-gop-leader-rejects-immigration-conference-sena/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said Wednesday that the chamber's Republicans will not go to a conference committee to work out a broad immigration bill with the Senate.</p> <p>In doing so, Rep. Michael T. McCaul, Texas Republican, flatly rejected the demand of President Obama and congressional Democrats ...Lawmakers hopeful about Syrian deal, but skepticism abounds2013-09-15T09:32:36-04:00Tom Howell Jr.http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/15/lawmakers-hopeful-about-syrian-deal-skepticism-abo/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>Lawmakers from both parties on Sunday showed guarded optimism for a deal struck by U.S. and Russian officials to put chemical weapons inspectors in Syria by November, with destruction of the Assad regime's stockpiles set for next year.</p> <p>Rep. Michael T. McCaul, Texas Republican, said it was a "step forward" ...Obama has done too little, too late to fix surveillance programs, lawmakers say2013-08-11T21:18:07-04:00Ben Wolfganghttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/11/lawmakers-obama-has-done-too-little-too-late-to-fi/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>Congressional leaders hammered President Obama on Sunday for his plan to review and potentially alter government surveillance programs.</p> <p>But the changes floated by the president at a news conference Friday aren't driving the backlash. Instead, lawmakers are taking aim at the White House's perpetual game of catch-up, in which the ...Congressional leaders agree on drastic response to al Qaeda terrorist threat2013-08-04T10:25:32-04:00David Sherfinskihttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/4/al-qaeda-terror-threat-serious-congressmen-and-sen/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>Key Democratic and Republican members of Congress said Sunday that the terrorism threat reportedly triggered by an intercepted message between senior al Qaeda operatives is the most serious threat in years, with some warning that the threat is an indication the terrorist group responsible for the 9/11 attacks still poses ...Key witness missing from House hearing on Iranian terror network2013-07-09T14:42:47-04:00Guy Taylorhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/9/key-witness-missing-house-hearing-iranian-terror-n/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>House Republicans this week accused Argentina of trying to block their investigation into suspected Iranian ties to terrorism in the Western Hemisphere by refusing to let an Argentinian prosecutor testify on the matter Tuesday.</p> <p>Lawmakers had invited the testimony from Alberto Nisman, the special prosecutor in the 1994 bombing of ...House committee to start hearings on Boston bombings2013-05-05T21:31:06-04:00Sean Lengellhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/5/house-committee-to-start-hearings-on-boston-bombin/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>As Republicans continue to raise questions regarding the Obama administration's handling of intelligence leading up to the Boston bombings, the House this week will hold the first of what is expected to be many congressional hearings on the issue.</p> <p>Three high-profile witnesses are scheduled to testify Thursday at the GOP-controlled ...Rep. Michael McCaul: Boston bombing suspects had help 2013-04-28T10:12:17-04:00Sean Lengellhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/28/rep-mccaul-bombing-suspects-had-help/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee says evidence suggests the two brothers accused of the Boston bombings had help planning the attack &mdash; and he says he has concerns about a possible "wider conspiracy" stretching overseas.</p> <p>U.S. officials investigating the bombings have told The Associated Press that so ...Texas lawmaker: Older brother likely received training in Chechnya2013-04-21T10:17:15-04:00David Eldridgehttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/21/texas-lawmaker-older-brother-likely-received-train/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>The chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security said Sunday he thinks 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the two brothers suspected in last week's Boston Marathon bombing, may have been trained by a terrorist organization in Chechnya.</p> <p>"I personally believe that this man received training when he was over ...White House: ICE to blame for release of illegals2013-02-27T13:10:00-05:00Stephen Dinanhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/feb/27/white-house-ice-blame-release-illegals/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p><span>The White House said Wednesday that it had nothing to do with the decision by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to release immigrants awaiting deportation back into the country in order to save money ahead of the looming budget &ldquo;sequesters.&rdquo;</span></p> <p><span>&ldquo;This was a decision made by career officials at ICE ...